


On the Homefront

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [8]
Category: The Three Investigators | Die drei ??? - Various Authors, The Trixie Belden Mysteries - Julie Campbell Tatham & Kathryn Kenny
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Cheating, F/M, Internal Conflict, Kissing, Prompt Fill, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for 100 Words on Decade-Specific AUs prompt:Any, any female character, working in a factory during WWIIIn which Trixie works at a factory and is seeing someone, even though she's technically engaged.
Relationships: Trixie Belden/Jim Frayne, Trixie Belden/Jupiter Jones | Justus Jonas
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108508
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2021





	On the Homefront

Trixie and Shirley worked well together, and had some of the best turnaround time in the Lockheed factory. Shirley shot the rivets and Trixie followed along with the bucking bar, smoothing them out, sending an endless stream of gas tanks to the next station.

Trixie was no stranger to hard work. She grew up on an apple orchard, where her parents had expected the same amount of effort out of her as they did her brothers. And working as a bucker was still a thousand times better than waitressing, being a phone operator, and working at the ball bearing plant getting her hands torn up every day.

_Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick, and wash her hands several times a day._

“Some of us are goin’ dancin’ tonight,” Shirley said. “You should come.”

She and Trixie were sitting outside at a picnic table, having lunch. It was nice to get away from the noise and heat inside the factory.

“Thanks for the offer, but I have plans.” Trixie ducked her head to hide the blush she knew was staining her cheeks.

Shirley made a disapproving noise. “Again? I thought you put him on hold.”

“I’m working on it.”

Truth was, she wasn’t working _that_ hard on putting some space between herself and Jupiter Jones. She knew what she had to do, knew what was wrong and what was right, but nothing was simple when it came to Jupiter.

_Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they’re less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn’t be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently._

Trixie took the bus back to her apartment, standing all the way because no-one wanted to give up their seat to a girl in slacks, and spent two hours getting ready for her date. She had to unwrap the kerchief from her head, pull out the multitude of bobby pins keeping her unruly curls in place, take a nice, long soak, and choose something appropriate to wear from her very small selection of clothes.

Suitably clothed, she walked down the street to Jupiter’s office. She knocked briskly before walking in. 

“Oh, hey, Trixie,” Jupiter said when he popped his head out from behind a stack of paperwork. “Did we have a date?”

“The Maguire case, remember?”

“Right. Right! Let me just…Where did I…?”

Jupiter was an excellent detective, but hopelessly unorganized. Trixie might have offered her services as a secretary, which Jupiter sorely needed, but she wanted to be part of the action.

“You sure don’t mind doing surveillance with me?” Jupiter asked as they headed out the door.

Trixie looped her arm through his. “I’ve been waiting all day!”

_General experience indicates that “husky” girls – those who are just a little on the heavy side – are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters._

It was late when Jupiter dropped Trixie back at her apartment, after a successful job of surveilling Mr. Maguire and getting plenty of incriminating photos. They lingered in the car, kissing until Trixie was a bit breathless. She knew it was wrong to want more, especially given her situation, but she couldn’t help thinking about inviting Jupiter in and spending the night with him.

The right thing to do would be to break things off until Trixie could get her personal life sorted out. She immediately felt guilty for thinking of her fiancé as something that needed dealt with, instead of a person who would have to be let down easy once he wasn’t in a warzone. 

Jim wouldn’t approve of Trixie moving to California, or working at a man’s job. He’d have been scandalized to see her out of the house with slacks on. Jim was so different from Jupiter, who accepted Trixie for who she was instead of who she was supposed to be.

“I better get inside,” Trixie said. Her hand was dangerously high up on Jupiter’s leg. “It’s late.”

“Would you like to have dinner with me this weekend?”

“Yes!” Trixie leaned in for one more kiss and then she was out of the car before she could change her mind and tell Jupiter everything.

She watched him drive away. She was going straight to hell, she just knew it.

“Damn it,” she whispered.

_Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl’s husband or father may swear vociferously, she’ll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this._

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** Italicized asides are from “Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees” written by L.H. Sanders in 1943.
> 
> Inspired in part by some personal accounts by women who worked in the factories during WWII, and the movie _Swing Shift_ (which I’ve never seen, but included the cheating storyline).


End file.
